


Carnival of Lust

by DarlingHazel



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, Magician!Jack, One Shot, Reader-Insert, also a bartender, hes not exactly a magician but like, hes something, hyperion is a carnival now, jack's a goddamn tease, reader's a conspiracy theorist sorta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 09:54:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18618250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarlingHazel/pseuds/DarlingHazel
Summary: A man with a hat that gave him a dream, and a woman with a board that speculates the cause of these dreams.Jack's word is not a threat, but a promise.





	Carnival of Lust

 A mix of purple and orange hues painted the sky, clouds parting to reveal a blanket of stars and a coat of black beginning to take place in place of the once-blue sky. Groans and crackles filled the air, a massive crowd of visitors to the carnival waiting in lines outside the gate. Soon, a man dressed in black climbed onto a raised platform, and he bowed. “Welcome all, to the opening of Hyperion!” He removed his hat as everyone looked, whispers and murmurs filling the crowd with thoughts and theories of what’s to come.

 

“As you may know, it was a tough ride trying to accumulate all these magnificent workers, and some legal issues regarding the location of this carnival…” His voice, smooth as a violin, began as a boy brought a small box up to him. “... However, all of that is done now, and we as a collective now invite you  _ all _ to join us on this adventure.” He pulled out a small yellow key, jumping off his platform to make way to the gates. The crowd separated. “We can’t promise that it will be perfect.” Amidst the crowd, a young boy looked on with a gleam in his eyes. A goal to envy. He inserted the key into the lock. “But, we can promise… that it will be worth every penny.”

 

A click resonated, and the crowd cheered as two workers slowly opened the gates to reveal a land of  _ wonders.  _ “Welcome, kittens.. to the Carnival of Hyperion.” Cheers and applause filled the air, the man stepping aside as children ran in with their parents being dragged behind them, couples looking around in awe upon entry and one lone child running without the presence of his parents towards the man.

 

“Mister?” He looked down, a young boy with bright eyes. “Yes, little one?” He kneeled and played with his hat. “I-I just.. wanted to say--” Before the boy could speak any further, his mother appeared and scolded him. “I apologize, sir, he’s a very sneaky one. Very.. different.” Her lips were held in a thin line as she looked up at him, and the man could only laugh. “It is no problem, madam. Different is good. Your son is a very handsome looking boy for his age, I dare say! I would love to talk to him more, however, I have some private matters to attend to. If you’ll excuse me, and take care.” “Goodbye!” As the man scurried off, his hat was left behind, seemingly forgotten on the ground.

 

The boy picked it up as his mother began to lecture him. He smiled wider, and ran into the carnival, leaving his mother to chase after.

 

It was only years after the greatest carnival in history opened, that the founder died. In his place, came an insufferable man that longed for nothing but money. Rumors spread that the founder was murdered, some questioned that maybe the founder had never even died and was simply on a journey of his own…

 

… And some rumors claimed the man who replaced him had killed him.

 

You were one of the few that dared to think that.

Many that spoke out against his position were often silenced, families were torn apart by him, and worse yet-- he got away with  _ everything _ . Mr. Vasquez, the ever-infamous new owner of Carnival of Hyperion, always seemed to have something up his sleeve that let him get away with even stealing. At first, the numbers grew, but after one was decapitated in front of a crowd so casually for even so much as  _ looking _ at him, the numbers thinned until it was practically nobody left to question his position of power. His placement had such an impact, that many of the famous freaks at the popular show there had quit to search for another occupation. He claimed they’d never be able to find a new position, as nobody would accept freaks like them. You believed otherwise, but you knew better than to openly criticize his way of going about things. It’s no secret to anyone that he’s one of the richest on the planet, anyways.

 

God knows what he could hold over your family.

 

You were just some simple nobody, working part-time as a bartender and full-time as a conspiracy theorist. Your friends called you the Great Idiot, and your exes called you a whore.

 

It wasn’t your fault, really, that they couldn’t get nearly as much genuine love as you could.

 

Your little apartment you resided in consisted of not much-- but it did have a board full of all sorts of things. Evidence that outer-world creatures do, in fact, exist, photos of rich families that you believed to still be alive… These were all cover-ups, on the flipside of each photo had notes and smaller photos of Mr. Vasquez and even on your framed picture of you as a child you had a note on the back that summarized most of what you’d found. You firmly believed there was a way to get him off that throne he built himself upon, but you were afraid of the many lives that could be lost with such beliefs. If only there was someone out there who could put him in his place with you, or something..

 

Wishful thinking, you guessed.

 

Plucking your coat off its hanger, you slipped into it and tossed your hair over the back. A yell was heard from outside, a call of your name, and you cringed, knowing it surely woke up the neighbors. “I’m coming!” Cautiously, you stepped around the pile of clothes you’d left scattered around your living room and unlocked the door. Your best friend grinned ear-to-ear. “Somebody’s been thinking about aliens.” She joked after noticing the bags under your eyes, then handed you lipstick.

 

You refused, of course, makeup isn’t ever a necessity for you. “I don’t need it, thanks.” “Boooringgg…” You rolled your eyes and stepped out, making sure the door was locked behind you. “So, miss Hyperion, we headed to the Carnival  _ again _ ?” You knew she was making a fuss because she was annoyed by constantly going to the same place, which you understood, but.. the Carnival of Hyperion was your childhood dream, your parents were always too poor to go there which was why it being completely free to visit on the first week was the greatest thing for you. When you got your own job and were able to afford it, you began visiting it any time you could, going to basically the same areas every time yet still enjoying every second of it. Your friends thought you were obsessed, but you were just.. grateful. Yeah. That’s right, grateful.

 

Too bad for your friends though, you always had something new to say or ramble about whenever you visited the carnival and they loved it. And hey, they seemed to like the freaks a lot anyways. One of them even has a crush on the bearded woman, but unfortunately she’s too shy to ask her out, so it’s become your job to put good word in for her anytime you see the other. Never got boring to see them get flustered around the other. You heard your best friend clear her throat, and looked up to realize she was waiting for a response. Whoops. “Oh, yeah, sorry. Not for the going again part, for the.. zoning out part.” You giggled.

 

“Whatever, okay, fine!” She groaned, but her smile betrayed the agony displayed in the sentence. “Let’s go, I’ve got a date tomorrow.” She seemed to date a lot more than you… not that it’s a bad thing.

 

She held your hand, all was platonic in this household, and began to run. “W- Hey! Careful with the jewels, man!” You laughed and held down your necklace so it couldn’t hit you in the face as you both ran down the flight of stairs and nearly slammed into the door before a kind gentleman, one of your neighbors you talked to sometimes, opened it for you with a chuckle. “Thanks, Axton!” she yelled as you both practically flew to the carnival.

 

After a few minutes of running, you both came to a screeching halt at the gates. There were security officers and a few of the workers talking near the front, it looked a little.. heated. “Huh, weird.” “Maya, do you think--?” “No, they’re probably just having a new attraction get checked out or something. Come on, let’s go.” Your best friend dragged you inside, rather hesitantly as you stared at a worker stomping off in a rage. Are they in trouble? Did something happen?

 

“Okay, you go to your little freakshow, I’ve gotta get some cotton candy.” Maya adjusted her dress a little as she looked off, “Or, actually, I hear they’ve got a new guy in there. You get the cotton candy.” Wow. Okay. Sort of selfish, but you’ll accept it. “Okay, then.” You responded, but she was already storming off towards a tent. Great. Well, better get on with it then, you supposed.

 

You began to stride towards a cotton candy stand, smiling at the presence of a familiar face. “Hey, Rhys. Thought you were gonna be cleaning up around this time?” You spoke, which seemed to catch Rhys off guard as he jumped. “Oh, uh, well..” He scratched the back of his neck. “I was going to, but it seems my begging was annoying enough the boss put me on.. cotton candy duty. Not sure if that’s much better, but, y’know.” He laughed lightly, but it was forced, you could tell. “Well, I’ll have two, please.” You slid over some money while he handed you two.

 

Rhys was a kind man, you’d met him on your first week of revisiting this place, him on cleaning duty as Mr. Vasquez apparently was meant to give him a promotion, but didn’t. You pitied him, almost… If not for him being a complete idiot. His best friend, Vaughn, worked the ticket booth at the freakshow sometimes because, despite him managing ticket prices and so forth, he didn’t get paid a whole lot anyways. Both fueled the other’s careless tendencies, and often, you bore witness to most of their undoings. It amused you, for the most part.

 

You didn’t know many people here, even workers or freaks. The only ones you knew were the ones that tended to get into trouble often, as you liked to come near closing time sometimes and you’d tip these poor souls if you were having a particularly good day and had money to spend. Some knew your name, but honestly, you weren’t the only one that was obsessed with the carnival growing up. Plenty of other people were, too, and they’re much more well-known than you. Not that it mattered too much to you, of course, less attention meant less of a chance to deal with Mr. Vasquez. For you, that was a win.

 

As you walked into the tent to see the freakshow, not needing a ticket, you looked around to try and find Maya. Seems as though she’d gotten herself a date again, it seemed, as she was talking to some man near the back row. You made your way over and gently grabbed her arm, beginning to walk away. “Sorry, she’s with me.” You dragged her out of the stranger’s sight to the front seats(lucky you), and lightly slapped her on the back of her head to stop her protests along the way. “Not today, Maya, you know the rules. No flirting when I’m around, ‘cause I don’t like fun.” She sighed and smiled, sitting down and crossing her legs.Taking your seat, you noticed a mysterious figure overlooking the stage on a balcony, their hat dramatically tipped over their face to the point that shadows covered nearly every inch of it. You wondered, briefly, if it was a new ringmaster or something. No matter, though, as you looked back to Maya and found her flirting,  _ again _ , with the man next to her. Christ.

 

Maya wasn’t desperate, by any means. If a man saw her, she’d be sure to have him on a leash in no time, you knew that much, but she’s also dangerous, and she knows her limits. She kept up this front to make rep, to make sure she had more control over these men and more trust in her should she ever be in danger and can’t defend herself. She was a siren, after all.

 

Sirens were  _ very _ hard to come across, and it was understandable that some, like her, kept a little in the shadows about their identities. Many people would sell sirens, or want something out of their power, and Maya’s had enough experience with the latter. You didn’t know much about her past, just that her old boss had forced her to do some.. unorthodox things, as she called them. It was nothing sexual, she claimed, sometimes you had little doubts but, you believed her. She said she was almost willing at first, anyways. Sirens aren’t supernatural, or anything to really uphold your cover-up theories, but they  _ are _ strong. They have some sort of power linked to their body that allows for them to do certain things, but they’re labelled as anomalies, as dangers to humanity, and a lot of people have tried extracting this power from them in the past.

 

There’s some scientific theory behind their whole existence, but you chose to ignore them in favor of Maya’s comfort. You knew she sometimes had trouble accepting her power, she never knew what to do with it, and you weren’t going to push it by trying to rid her of it or find the roots of it or anything. There’s a reason she’s your best friend. “Welcome, everyone!” a disembodied voice shouted, startling you out of your trance. Everyone looked around, looking for the source only to find none.

 

_ A special night _ , you supposed as the curtains opened to reveal a man dressed in a mess of a neon-colored suit. It hurt your eyes.

 

You adjusted your coat a bit when you noticed the newfound shine in his eyes. He looked almost desperate. “As you all may know.. we’ve hit a hard rock in our path to joy, and our journey has been halted temporarily as a result of Mr. Vasquez’s word.” Mr. Vasquez’s word? You glanced over to Maya, realizing she was shifting awkwardly in her seat and pointedly avoiding eye contact with you. “Maya--” “--It’s a rough time, right now, but we’ll get through it. Because no matter what, Hyperion is eternal, and will always exist. Even if just in your hearts, we’d hope.” Looking back over to the man, you began to hear whispers among the crowd.

 

“Now, without further ado…” He tipped his hat and skipped over to the side, “Let the show commence!” the crowd burst in cheers as the freaks came to light. You didn’t pay attention, sending questioning glances to Maya. “I.. I’ll be back.” Her voice cracked as she rose, you raised your hand to stop her, but it was too late as she practically ran outside the tent. Stealing a glance towards the balcony, not entirely sure  _ why _ you did that, you got up and walked out.

 

_ Great _ , you thought, looking around and finding no signs of Maya.  _ Finding a siren, that shouldn’t be hard. _ Nobody was really here, everyone seeming to have crowded the freakshow. Save for, well, Vaughn, it seemed. Making your way to the ticket booth, you knocked on the glass. “Hu- oh!” He laughed out your name, seemingly relieved. “You-you’re not.. watching the freakshow? You sick?” Oh, great, he thinks you’re obsessed.

 

Well, you are, but that’s not important.

 

“Actually, I’m looking for Maya. Have you seen her?” you asked, and he shook his head. “Blue hair, right? Last I saw her, she was just entering before the show started, but I don’t really think that helps. Sorry.” Was worth a try. “All good, thanks for trying. Good luck, Vaughn.” “Anytime.” His voice faded as you stormed off to find Maya. Maybe she’d be in the cabinet of curiosities?  _ Well, that’s very vague, a lot of places here had that. It’s a start, at least. _

 

You entered the first place you knew to have a collection of.. old stuff or whatever, and looked around. The staff weren’t here, either, they’re really just asking to be stolen from. Not that you’d steal. “Maya?” You called out, trying to ignore the unpleasant smell covering the air. “Maya, you here?” After waiting a few seconds and getting no answer, you sighed. You knew she wouldn’t leave, but it certainly didn’t seem like she was going to go back to the freakshow for awhile, so where else could she be?

 

As you walked around the rather large room, taking in the whole space finally, your back bumped against something and you nearly dropped it. Quickly, you picked it up(a vase, thankfully not one of value it seemed.) and placed it back where it belonged. “Come on, Maya, where are you?” You were basically talking to yourself at this point, but it was the only thing that kept you sane throughout the years after losing some people dear to you, so it didn’t matter too much to you as long as nobody heard.

 

“Mind explaining what you’re doing here, kitten?” “Ah-” So much for nobody hearing. You whipped around to find the mysterious man from earlier, on the balcony. “I’m- uh, looking for my friend.. she’s got, uh, blue hair?” you answered, but he didn’t seem to really care about your response as he simply adjusted his hat and leaned against a table. You will admit, that’s probably.. really dangerous in a place like this. Is he the owner’s son? “Blue hair? I don’t think I’ve seen her. Doubt that’s important, though--” “--excuse me?” He leaned in closer to you, to the point where you could finally make out his face… just had to ignore the breathing.

 

He seemed rather attractive, around your age, maybe a bit older, very aggressive-looking eyebrows and a little bit of a stubble.. at least, on his chin. His face being so close to yours made you a little flustered, so you backed up a little to try and gain some space but with the table and vase behind you, you were very cramped. Ignoring your comment, he continued with an ever-growing grin, “Name’s Handsome Jack, you may not have heard of me before, but you’ll be hearing more from me soon, pumpkin.” Before you could introduce yourself, he cut you off, “I know, I know, pleasure to meet me. I’d be pleasured too, to see and hear such an irresistible man. Don’t drop your panties yet, though, I’m a little bit busy right now.” Busy, and yet he’s still talking.

 

Suddenly, his expression shifted to a rather grim smile as he looked deeper into your eyes, “You shouldn’t be out here alone, you know.” you let out a breath you didn’t know you’d been holding as he released you from his gaze and backed up, giving you some space. “Pretty things like you don’t last for long when ugly guys like the ones out there see ya.” His grin returned back to reeking of asshole and he locked eyes with you, crossing his arms. “Who’s to say you’re different?” Your voice cracked a bit in anxiety. “I’m Handsome Jack, kiddo, I’m  _ more _ than different, I’m better.” Okay, a little egotistical, you will admit.

 

“You’re feckless.” He continued, and you gasped in mock offense while he shrugged, “I mean, look at you, pumpkin, you’ve got no defense against those bad guys. You’re lucky I’m here, y’know.” His casual use of the nicknames sort of reminded you of the founder, that man always had the tendency to charm every lady he came across. This man’s different though, he won’t charm you. He sounds like an arrogant asshole, anyways. “I can defend myself just fine.” You pulled out a pocket knife, twirling it around in your palm before putting it back in your coat. “See?”

 

Jack looked at you, expressionless for a second, before bursting into laughter. He placed his hat on the table near him. “You really think,” he moved in again, hands on either side of the table behind you. You were blocked, you realized in fear. “that a simple little knife like that could defend you from people like them?” You tried to avert your gaze, but he placed his fingers on your chin gently yet firmly and forced you to meet his eyes. “What would you do if I hurt you right now?” he leaned in a little closer, and you noticed his eyes were heterochromatic, “What would you do…” his lips hovered over your ear and you heard his breathing so clearly, your heart sped up and your knees were beginning to feel a little weak, “If I ripped into you, cut you…” his deep voice cut through any train of thought, suddenly breathing became harder… “... would you take out that pretty little knife, and stab me?” His hands made their way to your waist, and he pressed you against the table and moved his lips a little lower, stopping just as he brushed your jawline and he breathed, “Would you cry as you bled? Beg?” you swallowed, your throat felt so dry. “Even better,” you could hear the hint of a smile in his voice as it dropped to dangerously low levels, “would you still stab me…” his finger traced along your arm and danced along your waist, “If I fucked you raw on this table, right behind you?” your eyes widened just as your cheeks burned, and your knees buckled.

 

Somewhere in the back of your mind, you kind of hoped it was more of a promise than a threat.

 

Suddenly, you felt cold air hit you as Jack was pushed away and a familiar face came into view. “Hey! Back off, jerk-off!” Maya yelled and grabbed your hand protectively. He laughed rather pleasantly and nodded, “Sure, sure, whatever… Was just making conversation.” “”Making conversation” my ass. Let’s go.” she huffed and pulled you towards the exit. “See you next visit, pumpkin. Might wanna bring a bigger knife if you know what’s best for you. Unless… you’d rather bring rope.” His voice echoed and your heart hammered against your chest. Maya made a noise of disgust as you exited the building and realized the freakshow was nearing its end anyways. “Guy’s so full of himself..” she muttered when you both slowed down a little, but you could barely hear her over the thoughts that plagued your mind. You gently traced your jawline where he brushed and shivered, sighing hazily.

 

Maya may be pissed, but one thing’s for sure; You’re coming back… and you’ll be coming alone.

**Author's Note:**

> it was a little slow... and he really only came in at the end, i'm sorry! kind of spent too long setting the scene :/  
> I hope it was enjoyable either way! jack's the kid at the beginning, and does work at the carnival but the reader has not met him 'till now because he's usually only out when the freakshow's going on. idk much about carnivals, so unfortunately I failed a bit on that part too.. I don't know if I've ever been? maybe once h
> 
> did my best, though!! sorry if it was slow paced, but i hope you can find some sense of enjoyment from this! thank u for reading! ^^


End file.
